Irataba

Irataba (1814-4 May 1874) was a leader of the Mohave Native Americans who was known for his mediation between his people and the United States.

Biography
Irataba was born near the Colorado River in Arizona in 1814 to the Mohave people, and he became a renowned orator and one of the first of his people to speak English. In 1851, he first encountered European Americans when he assisted the Sitgreaves Expedition, and he agreed to escort Amiel Weeks Whipple and his expedition through Paiute territory in 1854. Irataba became known as the most important native leader in the region due to his ability to protect the American settlers, but, in 1858, his tribe attacked an emigrant wagon train, starting the Mohave War. Having advocated for friendly relations with the whites, Irataba was named his people's new leader after the war, and he met President Abraham Lincoln in Washington DC in 1864. He also toured New York City and Philadelphia and was well-received, and he negotiated the creation of the Colorado River Indian Reservation, causing a split in his nation. He led the Colorado River band of the Mohave, and he led his tribe in its conflicts with the Paiute and Chemehuevi. He died in 1874, having ensured that his tribe would continue to live on its ancestral territory.